Dear diary: Sakshi writes down comeback into Indian team

Vinayak Padmadeo

New Delhi, May 16

Sakshi Malik is relieved as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. For the first time in two years, Malik has convincingly earned her place in the Indian team. The 2016 Olympics bronze medallist beat all her competitors in the 62kg trials to punch her ticket for the Commonwealth Games.

Notably, Malik beat both Sonam and Manisha, against whom she had struggled for over two years. Sonam had represented India at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, while Manisha won bronze in the Asian Championships last month.

The victories not only helped Malik regain her confidence but also silence the naysayers. “A lot of people told me to quit the game because of my bad results. It would hurt me a lot,” Malik told The Tribune.

“But I had the confidence that if I stay true to my training, listen to my coaches, this bad phase will end soon. I am very happy that this phase has ended and I am back in the Indian team after a long gap. I don’t even remember the last time I had competed as part of the team,” the 30-year-old added.

Malik did compete in last year’s Asian Championships but in the 65kg category. She also participated in the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series in February, but lost in the quarterfinals. She had travelled on her own cost.

Satisfying wins

At the trials, Malik beat Sonam 8-1 before defeating Manisha 7-4 in the final. “I would say beating Sonam and Manisha was very satisfying. They had beaten me a lot lately,” Malik said. “During my bout against Sonam, I sensed midway that I was going to win. You know if you have done enough,” she added.

Journal came in handy

Women’s team coach Jitendra Yadav was equally happy about Malik’s comeback. “She was always physically fit but she became mentally weak because of all those losses,” Yadav said. “She took the help of a psychologist and it helped her regain her confidence,” he added.

The first thing Malik’s psychologist told her was to maintain a daily journal of her thoughts. “The last two years was the most trying time for me; it was a constant struggle mentally. So I consulted a psychologist, who told me to write a daily journal,” said Malik, who has been maintaining the journal for the last two months.

“These were small steps to getting better. If I mentioned negative thoughts in my journal, my task was to work on those issues during training the next day,” she said.

The Khel Ratna awardee added that training and support of her family and coaches ensured her return to the team. “Hopefully, this will give a fresh impetus to my career,” she said.

Old warrior Vinesh makes a return

Vinesh Phogat did just enough against Antim to emerge victorious in the 53kg category trials. Vinesh, who has been struggling since the Tokyo Games, began well as she did not concede a point till the final. In the final against Antim, she was trailing 0-3 but found a two-point scoring move to reduce the deficit. Antim got a bit defensive and tried to maintain distance. In this attempt, she ran out of mat and Vinesh challenged referee’s decision of not awarding a point. She won the challenge, and since it was the last scoring point she won the trials. It will be the first big-ticket event for her after the Tokyo debacle.

Women’s team for Commonwealth Games

Pooja Gehlot (50kg), Vinesh Phogat (53kg), Anshu Malik (57kg), Sakshi Malik (62kg), Divya Kakran (68kg) and Pooja (76kg)